Portugal. The country that has given us pastéis de Belém also gifted us with Luis Figo and Cristiano Ronaldo. During the 2006 World Cup Portugal secured fourth place. This year they have managed to land in the Group of Death, facing Brazil, North Korea an

Portugal. The country that has given us pastéis de Belém also gifted us with Luis Figo and Cristiano Ronaldo. During the 2006 World Cup Portugal secured fourth place. This year they have managed to land in the Group of Death, facing Brazil, North Korea and Côte d’Ivoire respectively.

While we are eager to see how Portugal will fare out this time around let’s move on to more important stuff – which Portuguese players are most deserving of your attention:
1. Cristiano Ronaldo – Ronaldo began his career as a youth player for Andorinha, where he played for two years, then moved to Nacional. In 1997, he made a move to Portuguese giants Sporting CP. Ronaldo's precocious talent caught the attention of Manchester United manager Alex Ferguson and he signed the 18-year-old for £12.24 million in 2003. The following season, Ronaldo won his first club honour, the FA Cup, and reached the Euro 2004 final with Portugal, in which tournament he scored his first international goal. 2008, Ronaldo won the Champions League with United, and was named player of the tournament. He was named the FIFA World Player of the Year.2. Hugo Almeida - a veteran of international competitions, he has been playing for the Portuguese national team since 2004. When Hugo’s not busy donning his country’s colours, he serves as a center forward for Werder Bremen.3. Simao Sabrosa – making his debut for Portugal in 1998. Simao is an old pro when it comes to international competitions. Currently playing for Atletico Madrid’s hot coach, Simao is married with two kids and once even released a DVD called Como Se Faz um Campeão for kids to learn his football techniques.4. Miguel Veloso – a relative newcomer to the international competition, Veloso plays for Sporting in the Portuguese league. We only know this due to the absurd amounts of threatening e-mails we receive when we don’t cover this league and/or incorrectly cite players and teams. Apart from the fact he picked up the wedgie habit from Ronaldo, he also has the natural talent of looking quite ferosh.5. Pepe – call us old softies but after the injury-marred season Pepe had, we succumbed and included him in this list. Just for the record – we do not approve of his argy bargies. FYI, Pepe is Brazilian-born but has never played for his native country after receiving his Portuguese citizenship in 2007. And for someone who looks very slim and wirey he has a case of massive thighs.